Story:Conquest/The Church of Dyodeka/Scripture
The Book of One 1'' To each of us our day is given ''2 With the rising of the Sun, our own star rises, soaring to its zenith in the vastness of the sky 3'' We are held aloft by the light of God, as the moons reflect the light of the Sun ''4 As we too fall, as does the moon, the stars, the rain, the bones 5'' As all things fall - so, do not weep ''6 For the leaves that fall from the trees in winter, are raised in the crops of spring 7'' For the child that dies in the womb, quickens in the eternity of Heaven ''8 For the sickening of the body, is but the descent of the moon 9'' For the battlefields soaked with blood will fade and be forgotten ''10 For the stones which were once a mountain are skipped along a lake 11 For that lake flows through weary rivers and ends in the sea 12 For the waves of that sea will seek shores that we will never see 13 For what seems an ending is but the beginning in God's eyes 14 Weep only for our blindness, and seek the acceptance of the flower 15 Which has the grace to bloom in the beauty God has given it, and the grace to surrender its beauty to the frost 16 Trusting in the fate that God has given it 17 And knowing the truth of these words: all things, in time 18 And all things change The Book of Duma 1'' The greatest blessing is to know the will of God ''2 And in so doing, to bend our lives to God's vision 3'' If Your love be truth, then I will speak no lies ''4 If Your truth be all, then I will spend my life to spread it 5'' If Your glory is revealed, may I raise my voice in song ''6 If You wish us to hearken, then let my voice be still 7'' Let my life be lived in silence, if silence be Your will ''8 Let no note pass my lips, for I would sully Your light 9'' Let Your purity shine in radiance, free from all noise ''10 And silence ring eternal, in eternal grace The Book of Zalhera 1'' There was once a young man, so fervent in his passion for healing, that he was said to have been blessed by Zalhera themselves ''2 With no care for his own health, he gave to the sufferers of the plague his own food, wiped their brows with his clothing, fed them medicine from his own spoon 3'' One night, Zalhera appeared before him, and gifted him two identical vials ''4 They said unto him, "One of these vials contains the greatest of cures. Consume the vial, and any injury, no matter how severe, will be healed." 5'' They said unto him, "One of these vials contains the greatest of poisons. Consume the vial, and even the strongest, most hearty man will fail and die within the day. ''6 The man bowed before Zalhera and took their gift. Each vial was made of clearest glass, and contained within it a colourless liquid. 7'' Together, they said to him, "You will know which to use when the day comes." ''8 For many decades, the man did not use either vial, though he faced endless diseases and suffering. 9'' In time, he grew old as all men do, and retired to a village where he was known as a wise healer. ''10 Each day, he placed the vials, as perfect as they were the day they were gifted to him, before the altar to Zalhera. He did not recall which had handed him which vial. 11 One summer, a wasting illness swept through the villages of that region. 12 The first affected was his beloved wife. Though near his age, she had been hale, but no herb nor medicine of his could halt her sickening. 13 For the first time, the man thought of the vials. That night, he prayed before the altar to Zalhera, the Healer. 14 "Life," he prayed, "I have been your loyal servant for many decades. Now I ask for the blessing you gave me long ago. Grant me the power to save my wife, as I have saved so many in the past." 15 When he awoke at dawn, the vials were as identical as he remembered. 16 Overnight, several more had fallen ill. Many were children, and the villagers came to him to seek his wisdom. 17 Through the day he moved amongst the crying, and those too weak to cry. To all he offered comfort, but no more. 18 "I can do nothing," he said unto them, and they bowed their heads to weep. 19 But though the sickness sapped all happiness and health from its victims, none died by nightfall. 20 Once again, he prayed before the altar to Zalhera and the vials. 21 "Death," he prayed, "for long have I been one who understood you, worked with you, walked with you side by side. Now I ask for the blessing you gave me long ago. Grant me the power to save all those who suffer, for we both know your dominion, and we know it is not their time to die." 22 But the vials were still identical in the dawn's light, and now even the heartiest villagers, in the full bloom of their youth, were beginning to sicken. 23 Those who were still able to walk met with him as the sun set, and again he told them that he could do nothing. 24 "All men are as leaves," he said to them. "The leaf does not hurt as it falls, nor does it know the sting of winter. For those who die, there is only the glory of eternal spring with God." 25 Yet his heart sickened as he saw them accept his words, and he resolved to pray again. 26 As his wife tossed and turned in their bed, the man set the vials before the altar and began his prayer. 27 "I have prayed to Zalhera, who is life, and Zalhera, who is death, and neither have answered me." 28 "I am but a mortal man, healer though I am, and all I know is life and death." 29 "But there is One beyond life and death, and I pray to You now." 30 "I am weak, and You, whose dominion is all, owe me no blessings. You have already given me the blessing of my life and wisdom." 31 "Yet I pray to you for one more gift of knowledge: let me know which vial contains life, so I may save your children from this suffering." 32 "Forgive me, for I am too weak to witness the suffering of so many, though I know that nothing You do is without reason." 33 As the dawn bled into the night, Zalhera appeared before him again. 34 They said unto him, "You can lie to life." 35 They said unto him, "You can lie to death." 36 Together they said, "You cannot lie to the One." 37 Again they gifted him with the vials. "The day has already come. You know which vial." 38 And the man bowed his head, for he had known from the beginning. 39 He rose with the dawn and opened both vials. 40 To the eldest, the youngest, and the weakest: all those who were sickliest, he gave a single drop from one vial. 41 To all the rest, he gave from the other vial. 42 He wept as he administered a drop to his wife. 43 But by nightfall, the village was full of the sounds of life again. Though they mourned the passing of their loved ones, they praised him as the wisest healer who had ever lived. 44 The old man placed the empty vials upon the altar. He said unto them, "I have no wisdom of my own, save that I listened to God." 45 He said again, "All men are as leaves. We are blessed with only one spring." The Book of Adramalech 1'' By these signs will we know the presence of God ''2 Woe to you, O merciless earth, whose very elements will fade when God is here 3'' Not snow, nor ice, nor sleet, not the most fearsome of raging blizzards can exist without Its whim, but are thawed by Its holy light ''4 The fury of the wind is quelled as a single breath; the ocean is transformed into a mirror 5'' All mists evaporate, leaving only the clarity of a pure soul ''6 The clouds vanish before Its radiance, and we will know the true glory of the azure heavens 7'' Sun and moons will gather together in one sky to show their obedience to God ''8 All stars will fade, for we will have no need of lesser lights before the true One 9'' Glory be to God, the light of the true world beyond these shadows ''10 You are the Sun rising on our final dawn, and you are the moons, falling on the end of the night of our Impurity 11 The body has a thousand lights, and our soul but One 12 But the light of our whole life dies, when You are gone The Book of Ultima 1'' Lift up your eyes, and see who made the stars ''2 Though we are but dust, They deign to grace us 3'' In symphony and verse God is glorified ''4 No less beautiful is the song of birds 5'' In quartz and gemstone cathedrals are gilded ''6 No less treasured is God's home in our hearts 7'' Treasure then the soul in springtime ''8 By devotion bear each winter 9'' All seasons pass, all things in time ''10 We are worth more than gold to God 11 Though we are but ash and flame embodied 12 Lift up your heart, and know that you are loved The Book of Rophocheche 1'' The men of the world labor only for self-love ''2 Believing in the hollow immortality that men do 3'' That their bones are infused with the grandeur of mountains ''4 Or that their minds are vast waters, deeper than the light of God can reach 5'' Lofty ambitions render naught to those closest to earth ''6 Impoverished dust whispering a world of inhumanity 7'' Of the fault lines in ribcages ''8 Of the terrible thirst of the sea 9'' Even the tallest peak turns to dust, embraces it ''10 For what purpose does it rain but to raise glory from the ground 11 Our possessions are not our own; God has given them to us to be cultivated 12 By rendering them unto others do we render unto It an acceptable service 13 By these acts are we earthen vessels of that which is above and below all things 14 The spirit of God, obtainable only with perfect obedience 15 In which everything is nothing, and infinitely surpassing itself ... ... 33 Like the widow and like the warship 34 The crumbled city has no use for sails 35 Bitterly it falls apart 36 And bitterly all men are equal before the One 37 The eyes of the One rise each night 38 And the cities of the One rise as well 39 A man that leads an army to a city of God 40 Is a man that leads an army to himself 41 The city hails from the earth as the soul from the flesh 42 Walls of vain stone and buttresses of bone keep apart the children of God 43 Emperors rest atop shaky thrones and paupers rest on shaky ground 44 But the way to God is both up and down 45 And no man has wealth beneath the One's eyes